My 3 M's

Do It Yourself - Shower Cleaner

2012-02-10T08:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Simple Organized Living for this great recipe for a Do-It-Yourself shower cleaner. By using common ingredients that are already in our houses, we can make up a quick inexpensive cleaner. Just a word of caution however, if your shower is made of tile and has grout, you may not want to use the vinegar because it can wear it down over time due to it's acidic nature.

Ingredients: Equal parts vinegar and soap / spray bottle

Directions: Warm vinegar in the microwave before adding soap. Then shake. You do not have to do this every time, just the first time so that the ingredients blend together. Then spray and clean.

Also works great on degreasing areas of the kitchen as well.

"I Can Help You"

2012-02-09T09:07:00.001-05:00

We've been hearing "I can help you" more and more from our oldest daughter Morgan. Whether she's working with Melayna on her letters and numbers, or trying to teach Marissa how to subtract and "borrow" from another column, it's been so nice to see them working together on things. Trust me, it's not always that way, but it's a blessing to see her taking on new roles with her sisters and loving on them.

And they love hearing her encouraging words just as much as if they were coming from Noel or I.

"Be kind to one another and build each other up" I Thessalonians 5:1

Wordless Wednesday - Remembering When

2012-02-08T09:24:00.000-05:00

A Quick M-E-L-A-Y-N-A Update

2012-02-07T11:16:00.000-05:00

Okay, so as a quick update... I guess she can write her own name. (Sort of)

I found this on the white marker board this morning.

She was pretty proud of herself, to say the least!

M-E-L-A-Y-N-A

2012-02-07T08:22:00.001-05:00

As of yesterday, Melayna now knows how to spell her own name! She's still working on writing out the letters, but she's really close. I am so excited for her.

What You Might Hear Coming Out Of My Daughter's Mouth

2012-02-06T14:57:00.000-05:00

This morning, while Laynie and I were running errands, Laynie asked this weird, if not, all important question.... "Mommy, if you died in the store while you were shopping, how would they know what car was yours? Would I have to tell them? What would they do with it?"

Sometimes I do wonder what goes on in that head of hers??

Valentine Decisions

2012-02-04T09:57:00.002-05:00

As I'm working on Valentine's Cards with my daughters, I am reminded of all of the tough decisions that go into them. You know, not necessarily deciding what design to buy or print out, but deciding who gets what card after you have them all. If the card has the word "love" in it, a boy cannot have it. If it has too many hearts on it, a boy cannot have it. And then the ultimate decision..... who gets the prettiest and largest valentine.... your teacher or your best friend??

It's a really good thing that we started working on these early. We may need extra days to figure it all out!!!

Silly Super Sliders

2012-02-02T09:09:00.000-05:00

Not only do my 3 M's look adorable in their footed pajama's (which we call footy-footies)....

...but they also come in quite handy, it seems!

The Secret of Counting Gifts - A Book Review

2012-01-31T16:15:00.000-05:00

"Oh that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men" (Psalm 107:31) "Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord" (Psalm 107:43)

"The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord" (Psalm 33:5)
"Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. (Psalm 33:8)

As I read more and more from the Bible, I am constantly reminded how important giving thanks to God is. He is SO good to us. All of life is a gift we should not take for granted. If we are wise, we will stand back and take notice of ALL He does for us and stand in awe of Him!!

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I had the wonderful opportunity to read a brand new book this past week that reinforced this very idea.

The Secret of Counting Gifts

By Heidi Kreider

The Secret of Counting Gifts is a well-written book that reminds us the importance of counting our gifts each day. Every day. Things that bring us joy. Things that show us love. Even things that bring us pain.

This book is the story of two friends. Elizabeth and Kristen become friends during their freshman year in college and they never looked back. Through college and marriage and then failing marriages, miscarriages, and pending death, their love and support for each other never waivers. And they both teach each other many things about life along the way.... the most important ..... counting gifts.

From page one, I was drawn in. These two friends quickly became my own friends. I fell in love with them and their families. I can understand their friendship. It's a connection so strong, I found myself giddy with excitement over good news and devastated with them when they received bad news. And like Elizabeth and Kristen, I too, was challenged to look at life through a different lens. To find the gifts in all of my circumstances. From the big things to the small things. Gifts should never be taken for granted.

And the giver of those good gifts should never be taken for granted either.

It's a great read. And now you can read it too on Kindle. Find The Secret of Counting Gifts on Amazon today.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for free to review but was not financially compensated in any way. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Do It Yourself - Bosco Sticks

2012-01-31T10:37:00.000-05:00

Morgan normally packs her lunch for school, unless the menu calls for Pizza or Bosco Cheese Sticks. Then she circles that day in a huge circle on the school menu and looks forward to that day all week. I didn't realize what the fuss was all about until I was able to find them on sale at our local grocery store and tried them for myself. YUM! Since we can't buy them every trip to the store, I was thrilled when my friend Heidi was talking about making her own bosco sticks. And she was gracious enough to share the recipe with me.

And although I need to perfect a thing or two, they were still quite delicious. Especially when you can pull them out of the freezer and warm them up in the microwave for a quick treat.

So, without further ado, here is the recipe for you:

Using a bread machine, just make the basic bread recipe. If you don't already have a favorite, you can find one easily online.

Lightly flour your counter surface and divide your dough into smaller balls.

Then roll those smaller sections flat into small circles.

I cut a normal sized cheese stick into half and after dipping it into flour....

I rolled them up into small "loaves". Place them on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so.

Final product

My sticks turned out pretty odd shaped when it was all said and done, but they tasted great and that's the important part in our family!!

And Now We're Sorry...

2012-01-28T15:59:00.000-05:00

Last week we had trouble in our house.

And for that, we're very sorry!!

The End of a Love Affair?

2012-01-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

If you've seen Melayna around town anytime in the past.... say.... six months, you've probably seen her wearing these little black shoes. She wears them every day with any thing. Dress pants. Sweat pants. It doesn't make any difference to her. 'Cuz, you never know when you need some "high heeled dance" shoes. (As she affectionately calls them).

Instead of sandals or flip flops.

Instead of snow boots.

And as you can see, they're getting pretty worn out.

I commented on how worn out they were getting this week while we were at the library.

She overheard me and within hours, she decided that she couldn't wear them anymore because "they are too worn and I don't want them to break"

I offered to take her to the store next week and get her another pair.

But alas, she said she would wear her sparkly tennis shoes instead.

So, the question is, is this the end of a great love affair?

Or just the beginning of a new one?!

Do It Yourself - Fabric Softener

2012-01-26T10:18:00.000-05:00

I haven't tried this one out yet and to be honest, I have settled for the Bounce Dryer Bar instead of fabric softener because I always forget to come back halfway through the washing cycle to add the softener. But I do love the smell of my clothes after they are washed. So, for those of you fabric softener users, feel free to let me know how this one works out. Here is what you need.

Do-It-Yourself Fabric Softner

6 Cups of HOT water
White Vinegar – Just keep this in bulk because it’s great for so many things. It can even be used as a rinse aid in the dishwasher.
2 Cups of Conditioner – Sauve is the most cost effective, and they have great scents. Try to stay away from Pantene because it has silicone in it and isn’t as effective.
Container – Reuse that empty fabric softener bottle you already have!

1. Mix the water and the conditioner until it is COMPLETELY dissolved.
2. Add the vinegar. Use only 2 to 2 Tbsp. depending on the load.

Do It Yourself - Soft Scrub

2012-01-25T19:44:00.000-05:00

Soft Scrub

Soft Scrub is a great way to fight that annoying soap scum and it can be used anywhere in the kitchen and bathroom. Unfortunately, it's sort of pricey. So, here is a great recipe for a do-it-yourself version of the store bought Soft Scrub.

1 2/3 Cup of Baking Soda
½ Cup of Liquid Soap
½ Cup of Water
2 Tbsp. of Vinegar
Squeeze bottle (You can just used an old shampoo bottle)

1. Mix the liquid soap in a bowl with the baking soda.
2. Add water, stirring until the mix is smooth.
3. Add the vinegar; however, if you want it to smell a little less like vinegar you can add an essential oil. I didn't have any, so I didn't do this, but the options are there.
4. Now pour the mix into the squeeze bottle, and away you go.

The Definition of a TRUE Friendship

2012-01-25T10:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday my midde daughter got into our van with a huge smile on her face. She couldn't even wait until I asked her why she was smiling before she started in about her friend and the gift that her friend had given to her. "Remember how "J" was going to give me a gift after I gave her a gift? Well, she gave me some socks today!! She wanted to give me pajamas but her Mom told her she couldn't, so she gave me a pair of socks. They're really easy to put on Mom and she said they're even clean!"

I had to smile as I thought of Marissa's sweet friendships with others at school. There is the little boy that gets to school around the same time as her and waits out in the snow so they can walk into school together. There is this little girl who loves all things crafty. Marissa and her pass glittery cards and "gifts" back and forth all through the year. There was the little boy from India who shared her table at the beginning of the year and needed Marissa's help with his school work. Such sweet innocent friendship.

And then when we got home, I got a first glimpse at these wonderful clean socks just as they were presented to her....

While I'm glad that my friends aren't necessarily going through their homes and wrapping up their own possessions, I do have to smile at this. Who knows, maybe these girls are on to something!!

Longing For Snow. Am I Crazy?

2012-01-23T17:54:00.000-05:00

Even as I post these pictures of our snow from over the weekend, it has almost all melted once again.

Thunder and lightening rolled in last night and when we woke up, the snow was mostly gone. The creek is rising and the ground is brown again. And all that is left is gloominess and cold, making me long for the snow to come back. If it's going to be winter, at least we could hope for the beauty of snow to cover the dark muddy earth, right?

Longing for snow like we had on Friday night when it continued to fall and blow until it covered our back deck. I woke up on Saturday morning to the pureness of a winter snowfall... and the slight disappointment that it hadn't snowed just a bit more.

It was still beautiful!

And even though our youngest daughter is adamant about "not liking snow" and stays inside, the other two found time to play outdoors with Daddy for a while.

So, just two days after that glorious snow, the ground is dark and muddy again and I find myself indoors drinking hot chocolate and searching for warmer socks.

But hey, on a brighter note, it looks like a sweet flower is blooming!!

2012-01-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

Here is an excerpt from the Proverbs 31 Daily Devotional that I received the other day. As we worship in our church buildings this weekend, let's pray about how to have a different kind of church.

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A Different Kind of Church
Holly Good

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 (NIV)

My normal carpool routine turned into a different kind of church one morning several years ago.
Twice a day, to and from school, we passed a tiny shack-like house. Surrounded by trash, old cars and unused items seemingly headed for the dump, it appeared neglected. It’s front porch slowly detaching from the foundation made us wonder if it was uninhabitable.

The site of this dilapidated dwelling begged me to glance its way every single day.

After carpool, as I headed to the grocery store for my weekly shopping, I could not get this home off my mind. I walked the aisles, randomly loading my cart with many extra items.

Echoing repeatedly in my thoughts were the words from Romans 12:10, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” I knew I had to embrace this truth and live it out. I had to do church differently that day. For me, church had always consisted of four walls, worship songs, messages about the truth and love of God, and being surrounded by people. But a different kind of church was begging for my attention that morning.

On the way home from school, I casually told my teenaged daughter and her friends that we’d be making a quick stop. “We’re going to do a different kind of church today,” I quietly told them, hoping they didn’t hear the nervousness in my voice. My riders were not enthused as we pulled over at the dilapidated shack. They reluctantly helped me gather the bags of groceries from my trunk and timidly followed me to the leaning porch. I apprehensively knocked on the worn screened door.
A middle-aged woman answered as I gently told her we had some groceries to share. She didn’t welcome us into the dark room behind her, but eagerly accepted what we had to give. “Thank you,” she said. “They need this more than you know.” Not knowing any details or even who they were, I awkwardly told her we’d pray. “Please do,” she begged as she quickly closed the door on us. As we headed back to the car, my anxiety began to subside. And God’s peace filled my heart.

On our way home, I didn’t wrap up our brief visit with a short sermonette or a confident ‘well done’ pat on our backs. We simply drove home in silence and reflected on our different kind of church that day. And I couldn’t help but smile as the verse in Romans continued to echo in my mind, “Be devoted to one another…” Dear Lord, help me to always see where there is a need and look to fill it. Teach me to look beyond myself as I seek to represent You. Give me the boldness to show my children my love for You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Reflect and Respond
Have I ever sensed God calling me to do church differently?
How can I step beyond my normal routine and be the hands and feet of Jesus for someone today?

Power Verses:
Romans 11:36, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.” (NIV)
John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (NIV 1984)

There's Trouble In Our House

2012-01-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

Lots of it!

And OFTEN!!

Quote for the Day

2012-01-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

That Girl of Mine

2012-01-19T14:19:00.000-05:00

Oh, that girls of mine! What am I going to do with her? She does make me laugh with all of her antics and random comments these days!!

Even the way she wears Gramie C's clip-on earrings has an attitude with it!!

Melayna said to me today: "Mommy, when I grow up, I want to own my own pizza shop because I want to make people SO happy!!"

And then yesterday, when we were on the way to pick up Marissa from school, I hear a voice pipe up from our back seat:

"Mommy, I hope you don't die, because you'll go to Heaven and then I won't see you again."

I said, "But Melayna, you'll be in Heaven too and then we'll see each other again."

Sadly she answered, "Mommy - I think I might forget to look for you once I get there."

But I think the funniest conversation of the day was when she came to me in the most serious of voices and said, "Mommy, is Stu a bad word?"

Me: "No, Stu is a name. It's not a bad word"

Melayna: "Well then, is Sue a bad word?"

Me: "No honey. Sue is also a name, not a bad word"

and with the most disappointed of voices, Melayna said, "Mommy, will you pleeeaaaase tell me some bad words then so I know what not to say?"

Oh goodness, sweet girl of mine. What am I ever going to do with you?

Do It Yourself Playdough

2012-01-18T10:30:00.000-05:00

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. water
food coloring of choice
3 T. vegetable oil
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. salt {yes it’s a 1/2 CUP}
1 T. powdered alum {found in the spice section}

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium pot, mix water, food coloring and oil together and bring to a boil

In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, and alum

Pour boiling water mixture over flour mixture and stir until combined

Let the mixture cool a bit until you can touch it with your hands

Kneed well — like you would kneed bread dough {Brenda suggests using a cutting board for this as the food coloring can slightly stain light counter tops}

Once you kneed the Play-Doh, simply put it in an air-tight container and bring it out any time you need to occupy your children for a while!

Original content take from Simple Organized Living: http://www.simpleorganizedliving.com/

Another Quote From My Daughters

2012-01-17T18:37:00.003-05:00

Morgan: "Mom, if I had a time machine, I would always set it so we could skip right over bath time. Or I should get one of those sleep machines that make you really tired so you fall asleep and forget that we haven't taken our baths yet."

Marissa: "Oh great Morgan, now you told her your plan - now it won't work"

But I Know What Is Best For You....

2012-01-16T20:58:00.001-05:00

"But, I don't have enough money, Mommy, and I want it SO bad!!"

Those were the words Marissa was sharing with me the other day as we were standing in front of a particular toy at Walmart. She had received some money for Christmas and thought that she had enough to buy an item that she had her eye on for a couple of weeks. So as we were driving across town, you could feel her anticipation building. She was telling Melayna all of the things that this gadget was capable of and how her friend would be excited to see Marissa had the same toy and if Melayna promised to play nicely, maybe she could play with it too. You get the idea.

So, just a few minutes later, we stood in front of the toy and saw that the cost was much higher than she had realized At first there was just confusion. "How could that be? But I just saw it the other day and it was less than that...maybe you can scan it again to make sure". And then the reality of it hit her that it was true.... she did not have enough money to realize her dream of owning the toy. And her little heart broke. In tiny little pieces. All Over!! (Can you relate with having a dream broken or unmet right in front of your eyes and you wonder in disbelief how it can be true? But you had bargained for so much more, right?)

And then my heart broke for her. It really did. As crocodile tears were falling from my sweet Marissa's eyes.... not tears from throwing a fit, but real tears of crushing disppointment.... how I wanted to rescan the toy and find out that it had been a terrible misunderstanding. A pricing error. How I truly wanted to stop those tears and replace them with smiles. Marissa knows my soft heart. She has seen it before. So maybe one time more??

And then hope... "Mom, maybe you can just pay the rest....'cuz I really really really want it. I promise, I'll play with it all the time.... ALL THE TIME!" (Sound familiar? Do you ever find yourself making deals with God in the hopes that he'll give in to your desires?? Just this one time?? Afterall, he's done it before. You've seen his soft side, maybe he'll do it again)

But I know my daughter. I know that it will teach her more down the road if I tell her that she needs to wait in the here and now. That we simply cannot get everything we want right when we want it. Sometimes learning is in the process. I gave her some ideas of how she might be able to work around the house and earn some more money. Maybe she could afford it in a week or two if she wanted it badly enough. She agreed. She even smiled. She trusted me and trusted that I had her best at heart.

...And I was reminded once again how much my kids can teach me...

Flashback Friday

2012-01-13T11:28:00.000-05:00

So, something happened the other day that made me go through our pictures for something. After a walk down memory lane, I decided to post a few pictures from years past. They still make me smile.

I think Laynie is about 15 months old in this picture. It looks like she was playing 'hide n seek' in Morgan's stuffed animals. We were still living in the trailer at that point.

I have always LOVED this picture of Amslie and Morgan playing.

One of my all time favorites!

I think this picture was taken when Morgan had just turned 5 and Marissa was 3 and 1/2.

Love those chubby little cheeks on both of them!

Daddy and his girls.

Morgan was 5. Marissa was 3 and 1/2. Laynie was almost 2.

We had been living in the house about two months at this point and the girls were pretending to be Indians by putting chalk all over their faces!!

School IS For Learning

2012-01-12T13:22:00.001-05:00

School is for learning, right? And so far, I'm learning that:

Melayna obviously hasn't cut with scissors very many times. She needs lots of practice.

Melayna LOVES glue and where her cutting skills are lacking, her gluing skills make up for it.

Melayna likes to stick out her tongue when she's concentrating and it's cute to watch.

She loves her time at home with me and has told me no less than about 27 times that she is NOT going to go to school "with all of those other kids".

Here is Melayna working on a cutting / gluing page about our seasons. She was especially upset because they gave us two more boxes than they had pictures for and that threw her off.

A cooking class might be in the works as part of her schooling since she enjoys coming up with her own recipes, and then making them for lunch.

Celery and peanut butter I've heard of before.

But blueberries on top?? Hmm, interesting!

The Post Where I Share Some Great Things My Kids Have Been Saying Lately...

2012-01-11T11:03:00.001-05:00

The other morning we experienced one of the most amazing sunrises. Apparently, the girls haven't seen too many like it because they were looking out the window when I heard one of them gasp and say, "Mommy, what is wrong with the sky? It's all red!"
Laynie and I were running errands in the car the other morning. While she was in the carseat behind me, she began to ask the following questions. (Among others that I can't remember at this point) "Mommy, why can't we see Jesus and God?" and "Can Jesus and God see us? 'Cuz I don't want them too. That just feels weird." and also "Do I have to be dead to go to Heaven?" and then followed that with "If I die and go to Heaven, does Jesus and God make me alive again when I get there, cuz dead people can't sing and dance"
I was talking to Morgan about a friend who is living in a sad situation right now and we were talking about how she had made some poor decisions lately but that we still needed to love her and help her out. Morgan is our "black and white thinker" and just usually says things like she sees them. So I shouldn't be surprised when she said, "Mom, if that girl knows that God wants her to do something else, why doesn't she? Disobeying God is not a smart thing to do".
During school time, Melayna told me "I came very very close to counting to 100. 'Cept I skipped the whole 30 thing"
And again, during another drive in the car, Melayna asked "Can God REALLY hold the WHOLE earth in his hands? 'Cuz that must make his hands pretty big!"
On Sunday, the girls were getting dressed and Morgan told Marissa to take all of the clothes to the hamper. Without missing a beat, Marissa replied, "I am a servant of God, not a servant of you!" (Might have been a sinful response, but certainly one that I can relate to and be convicted by!)

Fun For Today

2012-01-11T09:56:00.001-05:00

A Letter to the Future

2012-01-06T09:16:00.000-05:00

Do you remember the project where you write a letter to your 16 year old self about all of the things that you wish you knew back then?

Well, now you can apparently write a letter to your future self to set goals and dreams that you want to accomplish in years to come. You can even write a letter to your children for them to open on a certain date, like their 16th birthday. (Simply choose a date and email address where you want your letter to be sent).

Interested? Visit Futureme.org to find out more.

Stop and Let Me Tell You

2012-01-05T17:40:00.000-05:00

Melayna and I were shopping in Walmart the other day when we heard a child starting to act up in the same aisle as us. The mother was very clearly agitated at the child and after several attempts to change their behavior, she lost all patience and while wildly pointing at her child she loudly hissed, "STOP"!!!!

Immediately, as if on cue, Melayna added her own ending by breaking out in song.... "And let me tell you what the Lord has done for me."

Evidently the mother never learned that childhood favorite, but the other lady in the aisle with us did and immediately burst out laughing. I'm not sure how the mother responded, but I quickly turned my cart around and took my singing daughter to uttermost parts of the store!

Notice Anything New?

2012-01-04T19:30:00.000-05:00

Quick!

Does anyone notice anything different about Morgan?

Look closely now...

Yep. You're right.

Her new glasses came yesterday.

Her "much older and more serious looking self" is very excited about them!!

Basement Project - After

2012-01-04T09:09:00.000-05:00

And here is the finished product...

Outside of Morgan's bedroom is the school / craft area. I'm not sure how long the bookshelves and craft supplies will remain so organized, but they look great for now.

Marissa and Melayna share the door to the left.

Morgan's room is the door on the right.

Here is the corner that held all of the baseboard trim previously. Now it is a great corner for playing Barbies and watching movies.

Another view of the t.v. area.

Basement Project - The Work In Progress

2012-01-03T13:58:00.000-05:00

So, after looking through some paint swatches, we decided on a light brown color. You cannot really see the color in these pictures, but it really does go nicely with the light colored trim.

Noel also spent most of Saturday, the 24th, finishing up the paint and adding baseboard trim.

He also trimmed out the window.

Remember the landing at the bottom of the stairs? About two hours worth of work later and voila... the laminate flooring is complete.

And an up close look at the carpeting, which was added just this past Friday.

And now I need to put all of the furniture and toys back into their places....

Basement Project - The Before

2012-01-03T10:46:00.000-05:00

We moved into our house almost three years ago. When we moved in, we had finished out the girls' bedrooms and bathroom in the basement, but the large open area remained unfinished. We put all of the girls' toys and craft supplies down there anyway (with small carpet scraps to walk on), but it still had a dusty concrete floor and unpainted walls.

So, one of the items on our "to do" list has been to finish the family room down in our basement. We are very excited to have that project finally complete. Yea! We started painting the first Friday of Christmas break and carpet was installed the following Friday. It has made SUCH a difference.

Here are some before pictures:

As you can see, it's all there for the girls to play with... they just had to walk on the uncarpeted concrete.

And this is the area right at the bottom of the stairs where we wanted to put laminate flooring. (Eventually we'll also put a sink and mini refrigerator along the wall)

Another corner of the basement. Do you like the baseboard trim??

Faces of our Family Christmas

2012-01-02T13:09:00.000-05:00

We had a great time spending time with both sides of the family again this year. On Christmas Day, we went to Noel's side of the family for dinner and to open presents.

Melayna was showing us some of the things she received in her stocking.

The group of kids opening up their stockings.

Laynie waiting patiently for her turn to open a present.

Morgan and Amslie in anticipation.

Is this the grinch?

Nope. Just beautiful Marissa.

Melayna was showing off the quilt that Grammie C made for her this year.

Yeah, what's up?

Apparently, Xander wasn't happy.

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On Monday the 26th, we went to my side of the family for dinner and to open a few gifts.

Braden during lunch

Ah, sweet Kenna.

Rafe and Laynie showing us that watching it all while upside down is the way to go!

Keely and daughter looking cozy

Tutus and trampolines.... yeah, that seems to fit Laynie's personality

My Mom enjoying the calendar that we made for her

My parents surprised all of us with this major project.... giving all of us a photo album full of pictures of our great grandparents, grandparents, parents, and siblings. It was so much fun to look back at pictures of us over the years. I'm definitely thankful that my girls will have this album to look at in years to come.

"Remember that St Louis Cardinals are the CHAMPS, Noel"

Mom was the lucky recipient of the orange beach shorts.

And remember the rule.... if you receive clothes during the white elephant gift exchange, you are required to model them for us.

Three lucky clothing recipients this year.

(Keely, I'm having giver's remorse about that Purdue sweatshirt.)

"Hey Laynie, Christmas is a dud this year, let's break out of this place!!"

Light Show

2012-01-02T08:43:00.000-05:00

Each year our central park decorates with thousands of lights and turns them on each night through the month of December. It has sort of become one of our traditions to walk through the park each year. Since our Christmas break seemed busier at times this year, we just made it to the park on the very last weekend, but it was still fun to walk through with the girls.

Goin' Bowlin'

2012-01-01T11:37:00.000-05:00

Noel and I got to make a trek to Detroit, MI last week to watch the Purdue Boilermakers play Western Michigan in the LittleCeasars.Com Bowl. (Formally known as the Motor City Bowl). And thankfully, they actually won!!

We were able to meet up with two of our friends and drive up together through the slushy snow-filled streets before grabbing some lunch in Greek Town, Detroit and then walking to Ford Field. It was a fun day filled with conversation and football.

Here is Purdue's Marching Band right before kick-off.

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-31T13:39:00.000-05:00

Noel's sister (and her family) came into town on Tuesday, so we spent much of Wednesday and Thursday over at his parent's house so that the kids could all play together. Then on Friday, we decided to paint the basement. (Sudden, I know.... before and after pictures are coming soon). Later that evening, Noel's Nanny and his cousins arrived into town and stayed over at our house for the weekend. We loved having them here and hope they come back again soon. (Hint, hint).

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With all of the family in town, we decided to spend Saturday at home by ourselves. Noel spent most of the day trimming out the basement window and completing the baseboard trim. Then we went to a Christmas Eve church service at an area church, before coming back home to the quietness of a Christmas Eve here in our own home. Since we had church the next morning, followed by the "H" family Christmas, we decided that we would do our family Christmas on Christmas Eve - just the five of us - and I'm so thankful for the wonderful time that we had together.

It really was quiet and peaceful.

Noel and the girls sat down to read the Christmas Story again. I think this is a picture of Noel finding the passage in Luke before handing it off to Marissa. She did a wonderful job reading about the birth of Christ - and the REAL reason for our celebration!

Finally it was time to open some gifts.

Morgan got some wild tights in her stocking this year.

Sometimes the neatest part of Christmas is just sitting back and watching the joy of others.

Melayna got three books for Christmas. She loved them and ironically, she was actually with me the day that I bought them. She held them and looked through them while riding through the store with me as I shopped for several people. When she asked about them at the check-out line, I simply told her that I was buying them for someone for Christmas. She never even suspected. In fact, when she opened the books that night, she said, "Hey, these are the books that you bought for someone else!!"

How many more years like that will I have with her before she catches on?

The two older girls are looking through the calendar that we made for Daddy.

Each year we try to make a calender of our family that he can take to school and hang by his desk in his classroom.

Showing off some more gifts...

Morgan bought Noel a calculator because she knew all math teachers needed one of those, right?

Noel and I enjoying our family.

Both Morgan and Marissa put together gift bags for us. They have been earning shares at Awana's and they cashed those in for Christmas gifts for us. We were completely surprised by what they got for us. (I got a scented candle and Noel got his calculator). It's so neat seeing the girls as they have begun to think through gifts to give to us and to each other. They did a really good job finding gifts that fit our personalities.

Melayna is enjoying her books.

Christmas is SO much fun!

(Looking like a pantene commercial)

I love this picture as they each share the excitement for what each other received this year.

They are loving on each other and that's what the season is all about!!

1st Christmas of the Year

2011-12-31T11:26:00.000-05:00

Since my parents were already here to celebrate Marissa's birthday on the night of the 20th, we had decided beforehand that it might be nice to open a few gifts together as a (smaller) family that evening, rather than waiting to open ALL of the grandkid's presents at the family dinner. It definitely made for a much nicer more relaxed atmosphere. And, I think it must be nice for Mom and Dad to see each grandchild open their presents (and enjoy) them individually.

This year Morgan read the Christmas story to us from her own Bible.

And then she squealed with delight when she opened her marker and pen set from Grandma and Grandpa!!

Melayna got her own bean bag.

She was also delighted with an extensive food set.

"Oh, look at the package we received!!"

"I LOVE presents like these!"

No sign of Laynie...

But still a fun picture of Mom and Dad and two of our three girls!

Belated Birthday Celebration

2011-12-30T17:16:00.000-05:00

We've had a really busy couple of weeks so it's time to play "catch up" on about everything.

Laundry. Housekeeping. Blogging. Since the last load of laundry is in the dryer and the vacuum was just run, I'll try to finish up a couple of entries as well.

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Back on the 20th, one certain daughter of ours turned six years old. As tradition would have it, she was allowed to pick out what sort of cake and frosting she wanted. And then she helped to bake it as well. We picked up some ice cream to go with it. And then we were good to go.

Our new six year old adding the ingredients for her cake. She chose white confetti cake with chocolate frosting...

...and lots of candy letters.

Marissa was so excited to open up a Kohl's gift card from Grandma and Grandpa. It was what she had asked for and she's already gone to the store and picked out a few things.

Daddy and I bought her a messenger bag that she can color and design by herself.

Making her wish.

It's been a wonderful six years with you Marissa Joy. 'Praying for many, many more.

11 Years Ago

2011-12-23T20:55:00.001-05:00

Remember this?

11 years ago.

11 years ago today, I married my best friend. A man who makes me laugh. A man who lets me cry. A man who wipes my tears during sad movies. And then makes me laugh again to cheer me up. A man who inspires me. A man who challenges me to become a better wife and mom and woman.

11 years ago today, I entered a life-long journey full of ups and down, good times and bad, for which I'm so grateful. And even knowing what I do now, I'd still do it all over again.

Here's praying for many, many more!!

12 Days of Giving - #12 Treasures for Troops

2011-12-23T13:57:00.003-05:00

Treasures for Troops was founded in 2001 by Susan Manns. Her and her husband have had the opportunity to "adopt" a solider serving in Afghanistan and vowed to send him a box or support once a month along with cards, letters, or weekly emails. Soon into their support, they realized that anything they sent, big or small, was being passed out and shared among other grateful soldiers in his unit. What started out as a small gesture of gratitude has now turned into a full-time ministry.

The goal of Treasures for Troops is to send support to as many soldiers as they can possibly reach thru care packages, letters, and most importantly, through prayers. Our soldiers NEED to know they are loved and appreciated.

This ministry just sent over 300 stockings overseas stuffed full of Christmas goodies to soliders in Afghanistan and other places in the middle East.

If you would like to learn more about this great organization, email Susan at srmanns@frontier.com.

12 Days of Giving - #11 The Gift of Education

2011-12-22T00:39:00.000-05:00

In our country, we have the remarkable freedom of education for all of our children. Unfortunately, for some, the staggering costs that come with education are becoming harder and harder to provide. College tuition is rising to obscene levels, and even expenses at the elementary level are becoming harder and harder to meet.

School lunches, textbook fees, yearbooks, school supplies, school clothes, gym shoes.

On and on it goes.

I use to work in the business office of our local college. There were a few times when generous donors would give money towards needy students' accounts. Sometimes it would cover an entire semester, sometimes the donation would only cover books or a meal plan. But it was always neat to see that students' reaction when they realized what had been done for them. Wouldn't it be neat to be able to do something like that for a college student in your area?

Or maybe collecting school supplies each year and donating them to area schools would be a great way to provide for those students who still need extras when the school year begins.

Another option would be to provide educational gifts to students all around the world through World Vision or Compassion.

You can visit their sites here: World Vision: Education Gifts under $25 or
Compassion: School Supplies Gifts for $30.

Whatever way you choose, giving back to others is always the best option, don't you agree?

12 Days of Giving - #10 Giving Blood

2011-12-20T09:07:00.000-05:00

Giving blood is a relatively easy way to give back to your community. AND IT'S FREE!

When you donate blood, you give the perfect gift - another hug, another laugh, another smile, another chance - to someone in need of blood.

Think outside the box this holiday season. The perfect gift is at your nearest American Red Cross blood drive or blood donation center. And, unlike the latest fashion trend, video game or golf club, the perfect gift costs nothing but an hour of your time.

Give the perfect gift and help a family member, friend or someone you’ve never met unwrap a lifetime of memories.

To find out more about how to be eligible to donate blood, or to find a blood drive near you, please visit http://www.redcrossblood.org/.

12 Days of Giving - #9 Paying It Forward In Our Own Community

2011-12-19T14:27:00.000-05:00

Do you want to pay it forward this holiday season in fun and easy ways? Here are just a few suggestions that you can do as a family to brighten someone's holiday season:

Go into your local dollar tree and leave $1 bills stuck in beside kids' toys. Or find a child in the store and give them money to buy something for themself or others. (You might want to ask a parent for permission for this one first)
Go through a drive-through and tell the cashier to use the change and pay for the person's order behind you.
Have your children make cookies and cards and leave them at the home for battered women.
Have your children make cards and mail them to soldiers serving overseas.
Put together small care packages with gum, hard candy, or chapstick and send them to soldiers.
Go Christmas caroling at area nursing homes.

And there you go. A few ideas to get your started. Now it's your turn to brainstorm! Come up with some of your own inexpensive ways to brighten someone's day!!

Decorating The Christmas Tree

2011-12-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

We got our Christmas tree last weekend. It is the tallest, fullest, prettiest tree that we've ever gotten, and we bought it at Sherman & Lin's (a discount scratch and dent grocery) for 1/3 of the cost. Cha-ching! Good job honey for spotting this one!! We brought it home last Saturday afternoon and let it get acclimated to it's new home.

Okay, so now that it opened up, there is a bare spot at the bottom. But never fear, the girls will throw enough ornaments on there to cover it up!!

As tradition would have it, Daddy puts the angel on top of the tree first.

Then you untangle the lights and check to make sure that they all work...

Finally. The kids can dive into the ornaments.

We should have known that Laynie would be more interested in climbing up and down the ladder than really decorating the tree.

Well, she did break down and add one or two...

'Just to prove that I do actually live in this house and participate in our family activities, I passed off the camera for a few minutes.

Back to overseeing...

By far, the girls favorite part is adding tinsel to the end.

We need to work on spreading it out just a little bit, don't you think?

But, it did cover up that bare spot...

"Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Oh how I love your branches!!"

And then I asked for one good picture of the girls in front of the tree.

I only wanted one...

But no cooperation....

And even with Mommy in the picture - still no cooperation.

Do you see the bunny ears??

Or is it the frowny face that throws you off?

Okay, fine. Here's wishing you a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011

Let's all act a little crazy!!!

12 Days of Giving - #8 Emergency Shelter

2011-12-16T12:56:00.002-05:00

No Laynie, I don't remember that...

2011-12-15T11:36:00.001-05:00

I just had a conversation with Melayna where she tried to convince me that she remembers what it was like when I was pregnant with her. "Don't you remember that one time that you were walking on the trail and I was in your tummy... I could really feel you walking Mommy and it was almost like I was walking around myself in there"

What You Might Hear Around Christmas

2011-12-14T16:08:00.000-05:00

Melayna: "Are you REALLY Santa?"
Seriously underfed pseudo Santa at Kmart: "Why yes, yes, I am. Do you want a sucker?"
Melayna: "Uh yeah. Sure"
Laynie has combined two of our nativity sets together and has now informed me that Jesus actually has a twin!! (Oh the things I learn from my 4 year old!)
...."And then Jesus comes in and saves the day!! "Yeah Hooray for Jesus!"
"Okay, now everyone is going to sing songs to Jesus, okay? Let's begin.... Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells....."
Is it STILL the holidays? (Question asked on the 27th of November so we have a long way to go yet!)
Melayna: "Marissa, Mommy made cookies today." Marissa: "Did she make snickerdoodles?" Melayna: "No. Mommy doesn't know how to make snickerdoodles. Come on, have you seen the ones she makes?"
Who's turn is it to hide Christmas Chris? (Our version of Elf on the Shelf)
Can we open our presents yet? (Asked on December 3rd, 4th, and again on the 5th)
Why does Santa say "ho, ho, ho? Shouldn't he be saying 'What do you want for Christmas?"
"We Three Kings of Orient are traveling around playing the guitar..."

12 Days of Giving - #7 Eliminating Human Slave Trade

2011-12-14T10:29:00.000-05:00

Every 26 seconds a child is kidnapped or sold into sexual slavery, sometimes as young as 6 years of age. And every single day those children are being forced to service multiple customers (sometimes over 10 a day). Sadly, it is estimated that over 2 million children are trafficked every year and suffer horrific sexual and physical abuse.

Some parents are tricked into believing that their children are being taken into the city to work a waitressing or cleaning job. Other time parents "give up" their children for what they believe to be a temporary job to help them get through a tough time. Other times, parents unfortunately willingly sell their daughters into slavery knowing what will happen to them.

But there are ways that we can save these children...one child at a time!!!

Destiny Rescue is an organization committed to helping the exploited children of the world. Right now they are in several countries where they are rescuing girls right from the brothels through undercover operations and then taking the girls to safehouses where they receive counseling and education and skills necessary to earn money to provide for themselves and their families. Without these necessary skills, many girls will be forced right back into prostitution in order to provide for themselves.

There are many ways to get involved here in the States by hosting jewelry parties where the proceeds go back to the girls who made the jewelry. You can also take short-term trips to Thailand and Cambodia to help build the homes and schools where the girls will live. Or maybe God is calling you to something longer, like working as a manager training employees in a coffee house in Thailand or being a house parent for the girls. Visit Destiny Rescue's website this holiday season and find out the many ways where you can help.

Photo provided by the Destiny Rescue website

Marissa's Special School Day

2011-12-13T14:35:00.000-05:00

Marissa is one of four students who will be celebrating their birthdays over Christmas vacation. Since the last week of school is always full with Christmas "fun", I talked to Marissa's teacher about bringing in her birthday snack last Friday. She agreed that it was a wonderful idea and Marissa requested juice boxes and cosmic brownies for her class. The principal recognized her with a special birthday certificate and I was able to spend the last 20 minutes of the day with her room. I think it made her feel pretty special to have Laynie and I come in and she was able to pick two friends to help her pass out her treats. I must admit, the cosmic brownies were a definite hit!

This is Marissa as I entered her classroom. She was anxious about our getting there so the party could begin.

There are definite advantages to being the younger sister!

I was surprised at how shy Melayna suddenly became as soon as we entered the room. Instead of sharing Marissa's table, she chose to hide out in the back corner.

The class as they enjoy their birthday treats.

Happy 6th Birthday, Marissa...even if it is a little bit early.

I'm glad that I got to share in your special time at school.

12 Days of Giving - #6 Clean Water

2011-12-13T08:30:00.000-05:00

According to The Water Project:

More than 1 in 8 people in the world don't have access to safe drinking water.

1 out of every 5 deaths under the age of 5 worldwide is due to a water-related disease.

And nearly 80% of illness in developing countries is linked to poor water and sanitation conditions.

And if you're like me, you don't ever think anything about that when you turn on the faucets in your home to get water for drinking or cooking or bathing. The thought that the water I wash my clothes in is cleaner than what most the world drinks saddens me.... BUT, for $20, you can change that...and clean water doesn't just save lives, it changes lives...forever!

To read more about how you can help the world have clean water, visit The Water Project .

You can also buy Water Filters through Compassion - $55 provides safe water for life (over 1 million gallons) for a child and their family in developing countries.

We've Made Some SMALL Changes

2011-12-12T17:43:00.000-05:00

So... this is the post where you find out that all the things you use to believe about the manger scene are wrong. Or at least compared to my 4-yr old's interpretation.

See for yourself...

Do you notice any blaring differences in this picture compared to the Hallmark cards you're received in the past?

Maybe if I zoom in for a closer look...

Does anyone remember there being a sheep dog in the original Biblical account?

This is what we call "Bowing Before the Throne"

Okay, on a serious note, I am not trying to be sacreligious or anything.

My daughter just keeps us laughing on a continuous basis with what she comes up with, even when it comes to the story of Jesus' birth.

And apparently, there have been some changes!!

12 Days of Giving - #5 Malaria Fighting Mosquito Nets

2011-12-12T09:28:00.000-05:00

Almost every 30 seconds a child dies from malaria; nearly 1 million people each year. All because of a curable disease from a mosquito bite. I just went to Haiti where Malaria is a very real fear but I was fortunate enough to find medicine for $3.99 here in the States. I cannot imagine living in a country where that medicine is not available for an affordable price. I cannot imagine living in a country where the fear of insects is a very real fear each night as I put my children to sleep. What if they are bitten while I sleep?

Did you know that for a small donation of $10, you will help provide: treated mosquito nets, malaria prevention education and medical treatment for those already suffering from malaria. Want to learn more?
Check out Bite Back.

You can also buy bed nets through World Vision by visiting http://www.worldvisiongifts.org/. or through Samaritan's Purse by visiting http://www.samaritanspurse.org/.

Messages For Mom

2011-12-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

I was organizing the girls' rooms a couple of days ago and pulling out old toys, etc. While I was working in Marissa's room, I told Morgan to get a "head start" for me in her room.

The next day I found this note in her room...

Thankfully, I also found this one too.

Do It Yourself - Fabreeze

2011-12-09T14:25:00.000-05:00

One thing I like to have on hand is Febreze! It seems it’s never cheap enough to warrant getting stocked up on though! Well, here is a homemade version that I hear works wonders! Has anyone tried making their own before? Can’t wait to try this!

What You’ll Need:

1/8 cup of fabric softener
2 Tbsp baking soda
32 oz spray bottle (consider using an old Febreze spray bottle)
hot water

Gather your supplies, and pour the fabric softener and baking soda in the spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with hot water and shake!

Thanks, Fake-It Frugal

12 Days of Giving - #4 Providing Food Locally

2011-12-09T10:45:00.001-05:00

Here's one more way to serve locally in our own community. Fellowship Missions is looking for people to help provide food for their upcoming Christmas Gathering for the area homeless on December 21st. Items needed include: Cookies, Rolls, Green Beans, and Cheesy Potatoes. If you are interested in providing any of these items, please email Tammy at tlane@fellowshipmissions.net to sign up. We are looking to serve about 170 people that evening.

Let's help make Christmas special for others this year!

Looking Like Christmas...

2011-12-08T12:52:00.000-05:00

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our house.

Even our Elf on the Shelf (who we named Christmas Chris) has returned for his annual visit with us.

He hides in a different spot every night. He was under these Christmas cones the other day, but we've also found him in the stove, above the cupboards, inside the cupboards, and under the couch.

And look, our own little Christmas Elf.

12 Days of Giving - #3 Providing Coats For Children In Need

2011-12-08T09:28:00.000-05:00

Here's yet another way to give back locally this Christmas season.

As the temps start to dip this time of year, area school kids are still playing outside for recess. Many of them are very underdressed and their families cannot afford the high cost of winter coats. Consider hosting a coat drive to collect new or gently used coats and then donate them to your area school. Most teachers and administration keep an eye out for families in need in their classrooms and work to meet those needs. (Some schools may work with the area Salvation Army or Community Services in storing and distributing coats, so you may want to check with them first about what way they prefer).

Start with your own closets. You'd be surprised at how many gloves, hats, and out-grown coats you have stuffed inside your own closets.... and then plan ahead for future years. If you begin buying coats at the end of the winter season, you can often get good coats for an average of $5 each.

(Stay tuned....I'll have more opportunities to give back or pay it forward in the days ahead)

Haiti's Got Talent

2011-12-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

I apologize for not posting these two videos sooner. I've had them on the computer since I got home from Haiti, but had forgotten to post them. I thought you might enjoy the fact that children from Haiti are just as eager to show off their skills in front of a video camera as their American counterparts.

Just see for yourself...
(I apologize for all the extra noise. All of the kids were playing together in the small courtyard)

I love the fact that they push each other out of the way so they can be seen and how they grab a 2x4 to preted it's their guitar. Oh, the boy losing his pants is pretty cute too!

12 Days of Giving - #2 Toy Collection & Consignment Sale

2011-12-07T12:17:00.000-05:00

Here is another great opportunity locally to give back...and clean house at the same time.

Next week Monday, Dec 12-Thurs, Dec 15, there will be a collection of toys from 9a-9p at the "Home and Family Arts Building" at the Warsaw fairgrounds. Anyone can bring in toys. If that item sells, 50% will go back to the one donating the toy, the other 50% will go towards buying brand new toys for donation.

A toy sale for the community will be held Saturday the 17th and Sunday the 18th where anyone can go through and buy toys for a fraction of the cost.

The most exciting part?? Tuesday the 20th and Wednesday the 21st will be the times that brand new toys (bought from the used toy sale proceeds) will be passed out to children in need.

It's obviously a great way to clean out your closets, buy toys at a discounted price, and help out others in our community who may not otherwise be able to provide Christmas gifts for their own children. Volunteers to help sort and clean the toys during the week of collection, along with volunteers to help work the sale are always needed. Even children can help volunteer. Stop by the Fairgrounds next week with any questions.

How Quickly We Forget...

2011-12-06T12:58:00.001-05:00

I've been reading in the Old Testament the past few months. I am amazed over and over how quickly the Israelites forgot all that the Lord had done for them and how quickly they fell back into their old habits. (Do you know anyone else like that?)

In Deuteronomy 4, verse 40 Moses tells the people, "You shall therefore keep God's statues and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you all the time." and then again in Deuteronomy 6, verse 6-7 he says, "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up."

Okay, so skip ahead a few books and a couple of generations and you find the followng verse in the very beginning of Judges. Judges 2:10-11 says "When all that generation had been gathered to their Fathers,another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord...."

How quickly they had forgotten all that their Lord had done for them when He brought them up out of slavery in Egypt.

And how quickly we forget what the Lord does for us if we don't write it down and dwell on it from time to time. How quickly we'll forget it if we don't share it with our children as well.

While I believe that I cannot make my child have the same faith that I do, while I cannot give away MY experience, I CAN leave my child my sense of moral values, my understanding of the principles of God's word. Those very principles that have guided me through difficult decisions in my life.

I may not be able to leave a lot of property and earthly possessions to my daughters, but as a Godly parent, I need to look at what I can give to them. A faith that can sustain them through every difficulty, every heartache, and every trial in life.

And I need to remember that by failing to teach them to love and obey God's will brings disaster on them in years to come.

Now that's a challenge....

Do It Yourself - Holiday Candles

2011-12-03T19:21:00.001-05:00

Looking for beautiful holiday decorations? Or maybe you need an inexpensive gift idea that’s simple enough for a toddler to pull off! Either way, frosted candles are a great option. You can use candles from Walmart, the dollar store, or even used candles that you have around your house! Purchase Epsom salt at any drugstore. A 4 lb carton filled with Epsom salt costs about $4.

Supplies Needed:

Epsom salt
Mod Podge
candles

Directions:

Spread out some Mod Podge on waxed paper, a plate or an easily-cleaned surface. Spread out Epsom salt as well, on a separate surface.
Roll your candle in the Mod Podge until it is covered. (Not the top or bottom, though!)
Then roll the candle in your Epsom salt and let dry. Ta-da!

Thanks, Remodeling This Life!

Beautiful Feet

2011-12-03T10:14:00.000-05:00

Feet are very important in Haiti. Afterall, the average person doesn't own a vehicle so your feet take you everywhere. And not many wear shoes, especially the children. Splinters, cuts, bruises, dusty toes... these are simply common every day occurences.

One day a girl on our team thought she had stepped on a nail. Thankfully it didn't break the skin, but it went clear through her tennis shoe and she could feel the "prick" as it touched her skin. When she removed the "nail" from her shoe, she found it was actually a thorn that commonly grows alongside the road. A thorn that many kids step on while they run and play in their yards.

So, towards the end of the week, several of our team members were commenting on the pathetic condition of our feet. Even showering just hours before, we had all been walking to the village in our flip-flops and our feet showed it. They were dirty. They were dusty. They were dry. Toe nail polish had scraped partially off. Some ankles were very swollen. And then Stephanie reminded us of the verse in Romans and said that to God, our feet were beautiful because they were doing the work of the Lord. Imagine that!! Having truly beautiful feet!!

And so, that is the inspiration behind this picture:

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On a different subject, but also related to Haiti, I came across this blog entry the other day. It's about a different area in Haiti, but it is still another reality of the small island in the middle of the Caribbean. It reminded me of some of the things I witnessed and it touched my heart.

Sherry's Journal: Feeding the Village of Lastik

A Snowy Progression

2011-12-02T12:17:00.000-05:00

It's already starting to melt again now, but we received our first snow "storm" on Tuesday. It started snowing around 11:00 in the morning and by the time I picked Morgan up at 3:40, it was falling hard. It continued to snow into the early hours of the morning and our town received anywhere from 4 - 8 inches, depending on where you lived (and how you measured) :-) We also lost power for three or four hours Tuesday night and again for another six hours on Wednesday due to fallen limbs.

Here is the progression - in pictures!

Tuesday around 11:00 a.m.... the snow is just beginning

Around noon... just after picking Marissa up from school

4:00 p.m. After picking up Morgan from school and "sliding" our way home through the slushy heavy snow

Just before dinner. It's really coming down now.

We have a couple of inches by this point on Tuesday night.

The same pear tree from the first picture is now covered.

Our back porch Wednesday morning.

I have to admit that I enjoy the first clean snow of the year.

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-01T11:21:00.000-05:00

Today, on the first day of December, I am thankful for:

a beautiful sunrise against the backdrop of pure white snow. It was an amazing sight to behold this morning.
a snow day yesterday. What a fun excuse to play outside and play games all day.
the fact that although we didn't have electricity for much of the day yesterday, it was light outside and there was enough sunlight streaming through the windows to keep things warm in the house.
praying friends and family who exhort and edify each other throughout the week. What a blessing to carry one another's burdens and be on our knees for each other in prayer.
a really great twist on an old Bible Story. I was reading about the Tower of Babel in Genesis for my ladies Bible Study this week and I was given new insight and challenged in an amazing way. (Maybe I'll put together a post at some point and share it with you as well)
a young energetic daughter who says such crazy things that I'm always laughing in disbelief! She keeps me young, that's for sure!

Buying Babies Now?

2011-12-01T10:38:00.001-05:00

In anticipation of a baby shower this upcoming weekend, I was picking up a few baby items at Walmart this morning. After watching me put a couple of things into the cart, Melayna asked tentatively, "Mom, what are you doing?" I told her that I was buying the baby a gift. Her eyes got huge as she said, "Please tell me we are NOT buying a baby here too!!"

Favorite Pictures - The Faces

2011-11-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

And finally, the last of the pictures that I'll leave you with.

The faces of Haiti

Favorite Pictures - The Beautiful Scenery

2011-11-29T14:09:00.000-05:00

Haiti truly is a beautiful country. Sometimes the scenery looks like something that should be in a travel magazine. I am not a photographer by any means, so I fear that I cannot truly do this place justice with my amateur shots, but here are a few of my favorites from the week.

The dusty road (and goats) along the way to the village.

I love the contrast of the dark greens beside the shadows of the moutain.

The outside view of the compound as we are walking to Chambrun village.

Looking back into the shadows

Walking to the village. Some afternoons, the sky was amazing.

Cactus against the night sky.

One view of the mountains just before we began our ascent.

Going up the winding road.

We drove past this cave. I'm not sure how deep it was or what was inside it, but it looked very interesting from the road.

Near the top of the mountain. If we continued this direction, we would have come to the border of the Dominican Republic.

Looking down over the compound and area villages in Haiti.

Nearing sunset.

In the middle center of this picture, you can see the ocean.

Port a Prince is in the mountains to the upper left of the picture.

It's raining in the Dominican in this picture.

That heavy rain would fall on our compound about two hours later.

Favorite Pictures - Our Downtime

2011-11-28T13:45:00.001-05:00

Of course, you can't have all work and no play. We made sure that we had fun with our other teammates and some deep connections were made there as well. I'm going to miss these sisters in Christ!!

Favorite Pictures - What We Did

2011-11-28T13:39:00.001-05:00

While we were in Haiti, we had a variety of things to keep us busy. Most of them revolved around building relationships with the people and teaching them skills that will help them provide for their families. As we worked along side of them, it was also our hope to share the gospel with them and show them love. We are praying that God's message will be received through the little things....

Little things.... like holding babies.

Or playing with the kids in the village.

You can see me in the back of this "crowd". All you have to do is pull out family pictures, or a camera... or in this case, I was showing them home movies on my flip camera. It was definitely a hit watching Melayna attempting the Macarena and falling down. They LOVED it!

Gina was one of the women who attended the sewing class and who sat at my table. Thankfully she was a very good seamstress and will hopefully have a good future selling her things. We formed as much of a connection as you can with someone who speaks a different language - but we both love our children dearly and sometimes that bond is enough between Mothers!

When we went into the village one day after sewing class, I found her with her daughter and her brother. (He's in the background). She was very excited to see me and introduced me to her Mama, who also lives with them.

We tried to go to their village every afternoon to play with the children.

Here is an example of the mud and stick homes that fill the village of Chambrun.

One morning we sorted through storage containers that were on the property. This container was filled with tents - which are being passed out as needed - and soccer supplies galore! The pastor hopes to organize a few soccer teams in the school and there will be plenty of jerseys and shoes! Many of the other containers were filled with seed packets and beans and rice or babyfood that is also being distributed.

The compound also uses these storage containers for a thrift shop where the people can come and buy clothes and shoes and other items for mere pennies. It's very cheap, but again, they take some pride in knowing that they bought it themselves rather than just receiving hand-outs.

I was able to help dig a trench for the septic system behind the children's homes. It was extremely hot that day (upwards of 95 at least) so you can bet we drank lots of water and took many breaks.

And there were always more babies to hold!!

Did I mention babies already?

Two days were spent doing a vision clinic. My job was to help with reading glasses

Playing games with the kids was a very important past-time as well.

For someone who is a task-oriented person, it seemed strange that we weren't filling every hour of our days with projects and manual labor. After all, weren't we there to help? But thankfully, God showed me that sometimes it's okay to slow down and just enjoy people. (Imagine that, huh?) Haiti is such a relational country.... people come before anything on the schedule and it's never uncommon to start something 30 minutes late simply because you were talking to someone. It's important to the people to talk with them and spend real time with them, even if that means that you are "bumbling" through their language in an attempt to ask them questions about their lives. They respect that you tried. Sometimes, just sitting quietly beside someone is enough.

Favorite Pictures - Getting to Haiti

2011-11-27T09:18:00.000-05:00

So, on November 11th, Noel took me to the airport and I left for a 9 day trip to Haiti. I went to the Nehemiah Vision Compound in Chambrun, Haiti with Global Aid Network and two other ladies from my church. Our purpose was to minister to the women of the near-by villages by teaching them to sew and bead jewelry as a way to provide income for their families. GAiN also provides glasses during the vision clinics along with a few other misc. projects on the compound. It was hard leaving Noel and the girls behind for such a long time, and the night before I left was especially hard as I was tucking my sweet girls into bed, but God was so gracious in caring for us all during my time away and helping our team stay focused on what God brought us there to do. And it definitely made our reunion that much sweeter upon my return!!

Let me just take this moment to thank many of you for your prayers. I definitely felt them. One of my main requests was for peace and comfort for my girls while I was gone. Morgan is our little thinker. She very seldom shows "real" emotion but I knew that she was keeping many thoughts and feelings to herself. God allowed us a very special time the Thursday night before I left where many tears were shared - but Morgan and I were able to share our hearts as well and that meant so much! By Friday morning, she had her "tough" face back on and was ready to go to school. Then there is Marissa. Marissa has always been our sensitive one and she begged me not to go no less than 36,219 times, I think!! But again, I was able to talk to her about what we were going to be doing there and God kept her tears at bay on Friday when it was time to leave. And poor sweet Laynie had no clue at all about what was about to go down. Her naivety still makes me smile!! All in all, they did wonderful and I have to give my dear husband so much credit in all he did while I was away. He felt your prayers as well, that's for sure!!

Anyway, after months of planning and praying and feeling the Lord's prompting to go, we're finally on our way!!

Steph, Shelby, and I at the airport, just minutes before going through security. We were anxious about leaving our families, but so very excited about the journey that was awaiting us.

Saturday morning at the Miami airport as we were waiting our flight to Haiti. We wanted to take a "before" picture so we could see how we fared vs. the heat and mosquitoes and sunburn during the week.

Here are the porters who were more than happy to help with our luggage leaving the airport. To say that they are aggressive is a drastic understatement!! It is absolutely crazy!! Actually, I wasn't able to take pictures of the porters that tried to help our team of 15 - there were a LOT!. This picture was the porters that tried to help 1 lady who arrived on her own after us.

The front of the Port-a-Prince airport.

The earthquake damage was on the other side of town from the direction we were headed. Part of our team was interested in seeing the damage, but we were told that it is total chaos due to the smell, the rubble, and the violence. Our host recommended that we stay away, so we did.

A Haitian tap-tap. You put as many people in this taxi as you possibly can. And if they don't fit inside, they climb up on top and hang off the back. Maximum capacity means nothing here!

One of the tent cities as we left the city.

Another displacement camp outside of Port-a-Prince.

The village of Onaville is a displacement camp that is 8 miles long and houses over 260,000 people. At the front of the camp, they have begun to rebuild small houses for some of the people, but most are still living in tents or mud huts.

Down a long dusty road stands the entrance to the Nehemiah Vision Ministries compound.

Here is the school on campus that educates over 400 kids from the village of Chambrun. They dress in uniform and pay to attend the school, but hopefully many of them come to know Christ personally through their education here.

Right now Nehemiah Vision rents a building in the local village to house a few children, but within a few months, two children's homes will be complete right on the compound where over 75 boys and girls can live. And considering that these homes will have electricity and plumbing, it will be a drastic improvement.

I am also excited that more children will be away from the voodoo temple that is currently situated so close to their current home. Voodoo is such a dark religion and human sacrifice is a very real part of their belief. Knowing the danger that these children are in while living in their own village makes the need for safe housing so much more important!

Here is another view of the compound from the south gate.

A new office building is being built and will open shortly. With the office moving, the kindergarten can expand into the current office.

This is the new medical facility that is being completed. A pharmacy, a vision clinic, a dental facility, operating rooms, and the medical clinic will all be in one central location by next spring.

Our housing was amazing. Dorm style housing with electricity and air conditioning all day (except a mandatory shut-down from 8:30-11:30 each morning in order to save diesel). We had cold showers in a separate bathroom with flushing toilets and full sinks. Compared to many facitilies in Haiti, we were extremely blessed!

Just one view from the compound. The mountains were just amazing!!

Wildlife?? How about a baby tarantula?

Or small scorpion?

A large toad perhaps?

Or maybe the three inch cockroach is more your style?

I'll just enjoy a nice cold Coke made from real sugarcane "sucre", thank you very much!!

What You Might Hear Upon My Return and Some Other Quick and Random Observations

2011-11-23T22:07:00.000-05:00

Mommy, I love you! (Marissa told me that about every 15 minutes for the first three days.)
You smell...um, different. Can you get your "real" smell back? (Marissa to me at the airport)
Where IS Haiti Mommy? You were gone for SO long. I thought you were NEVER coming back! It's like you fell into a deep dark hole and then when you came back it was through that airport tunnel.(Laynie to me the day after my return.)
"Man, I am SO stylish!" (Laynie, while putting on my make-up this morning)
"Mom, can you turn the radio on, I'm just DYING for some good music back here" (Laynie on the way to school this morning)

I have made some observations since my return from Haiti as well. Nothing too profound however. Don't worry, my mind is still too tired to think that deeply!!

It did feel so nice to put my wedding ring back on after going 10 days or more w/out it.
My girls grew 3 inches a piece while I was gone!
Since my return, Laynie has started saying "Most certainly not", "I choose (insert whatever she's wanting at the moment)" and "This should do the trick". All of the phrases seem to come in an English accent as well, which cracks me up.
None of the girls want me to leave the room now. They're afraid I'm going to leave them again so they follow me into the laundry room and the bathroom...even while I'm taking out the trash.
It's much easier for me to go from 37 degrees to 95 degrees instead of the other way around. And no matter how hot it gets, I definitely prefer hot weather to cold.

We're Back

2011-11-20T21:19:00.001-05:00

I am so glad to be back and with my family. What a joyful reunion at the airport this afternoon with Noel and my three precious girls!! I'm very tired, fighting nausea, and trying to settle back in. I'll post pictures soon enough, but if you want to get a glimpse of what took place in Haiti this past week, feel free to visit the Warner's blogsite at http://www.warner-haiti.blogspot.com/. There are some great pictures posted there.

Thank you for your prayers. We felt them for sure. Please also pray for the group from Kokomo who was shot this week while ministering at Double Harvest. We were not part of that group, but I cannot imagine what they must have experienced.

Making Weight

2011-11-11T12:35:00.000-05:00

With my departure down to just hours, I have packed and weighed and packed again. My goal is to get all of my personal things into one backpack...

...and then pack all of our supplies into one piece to be checked. Knowing that Delta only allows 50 pds, and international flights are 44 pds, made it challenging.

Noel helped me pack and re-pack until we "made weight". One would never think that material and buttons and flip flops would weigh so much.

Noel says that this is the best way to weigh one's luggage. :)

I hope that they don't make me do this in the airport....

And with that.... I'll say "good-bye" for now.

See you in about 10 days!!

Random Sayings In Our House This Week

2011-11-10T10:14:00.000-05:00

Me: "Where's Marissa at? We need to be going?" Melayna replies, "She's downstairs where I put her. And if she's smart, she'll stay there." (Insert her new witch's laugh that she's trying hard to perfect"
Mom, when is Aunt Jemima coming to visit? (overheard while eating waffles for breakfast)
Laynie: "You'll have to just give me a second here while I gather myself" (Really? This from a 4 yr old?)
"Mom, what you need is a make-over!!
"Laynie, what do you want for Christmas"? Laynie replies, "I want a Gator...a John Deere one.... like my uncle." My response? "Ummmm, yeah, what else do you want for Christmas"?
Laynie: Mommy, I love you! / Me: Thank you Laynie, that's so sweet of you. / Laynie: Mommy, I do NOT love your singing!
Marissa: Will there be cake at the wedding today? / Me: Probably, I mean, what's a wedding without cake, right? / Marissa: Boring!
Noel: Laynie, where are your pants? / Laynie: I got hot.... but I am wearing lots of rings on my fingers

Oh Happy Day

2011-11-08T20:03:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I took Marissa to the wedding of my cousin, Cari. She had heard that one of her Awana teachers was going to be at the wedding, and combined with the idea of cake... she was in. So we both got dressed up, left Daddy with the other two, and took off.

A self-portrait, except I didn't get my entire face.

Nice one...

Such a pretty little date. And so polite too.

She was a bit disappointed when we heard that there wouldn't be much cake at this wedding, but don't worry, they made up for it with brownies and ice cream sundaes!

'Might have been the best wedding I've ever attended just because of that!!

Since it was my cousin getting married, we were able to ride to the wedding and reception with my parents. It's always nice to have someone to talk to at social events like this one.

If you want to see pictures of the wedding, feel free to visit www.marahgrantblog.com/2011/11/shane-cari-wedding/

It was such a beautiful wedding. I am so happy for Cari and Shane. They both waited for God's best and I know that he will bless their marriage. Congrats to you both!

Just Another Day In Our Life

2011-11-08T15:11:00.000-05:00

Many mornings are like this morning. These two deer continue to come to our pear tree to enjoy it's breakfast buffet on a very frequent basis. Some days they go under the cover of the early morning darkness. Other mornings they wait until we can see them clearly. (By the way, I didn't have to use much of the zoom feature on my camera to get this picture either....they're literally that close).

++++++

Other happenings in my life today:

Morgan decided to do her own hair today. She's learning....
I almost saw a pedestrian get hit by a car. (That's something you don't see every day, right?) The girl walking was on her cell phone and the driver of the van was also talking on a cell phone. There was a lot of hand gesturing and yelling, but thankfully the pedestrian got out of the way just in time!
I got a free car wash. Watching the brushes coming backwards onto my car made me sick. It felt like the car was rolling backwards even though I had put it into park. It was the weirdest feeling! It doesn't take much to make me sick these days (while on anti-malaria pills, I seem to be extra nauseus), but I literally had to close my eyes and breathe deeply until it was over.
All three of my children were up an hour earlier AGAIN for the third morning in a row. Even though we have adjusted their schedules accordingly, they seem to naturally wake up that hour earlier when the sun is just beginning to peak over the horizon instead of when their alarm clocks tell them to. 'Gotta love daylight savings time!

Thankfulness Equals Happiness

2011-11-05T10:38:00.002-04:00

Thank You For Making Me Beautiful

2011-11-04T11:28:00.001-04:00

"The Lord Made Everything Beautiful". This was the Bible verse that Melayna had to learn for Awana's this past Wednesday. So why was I surprised when I heard her prayer last night at bed.... "And dear Jesus, thank you for making me SO beautiful! Amen"

Trick Or Treat 2011

2011-11-02T08:07:00.000-04:00

Last night was a beautiful night to go trick or treating. The forecast showed possible rain through-out the day, but by the time we were set to leave, the sun was out and the weather was perfect.

So we roped up our children....

Headed out somewhere over the rainbow...

and had a fairy-tale evening of Happily Ever After!

I love that Amslie and Luke live just next door and each year they make our house the first stop. We take pictures of all of the kids together (unless Laynie is still upset about her hair-do and decides to avoid the camera...). Then we disperse and head off our separate directions.

Dawn, my "siesta" made this adorable costume for "Toto".

You have to look the part, right?

My three characters - all in costume and ready to go.

At least Fairy Princess is finally enjoying herself!!

What You Might Hear

2011-11-01T11:17:00.000-04:00

The other morning during the praise songs at church, my youngest daughter points to one of the young gals in our praise band, who I will leave nameless... and she says (too loudly), "Look Mom, that lady has a baby in her belly!!" Then as I nod my head to quietly agree, she seems to remember the older brother and becomes horrified as she questions, "Is Braden back in her belly?" I instantly reassure her that "No, this is a new baby.... a little girl." Then my other daughter asks (once again too loudly), "and just HOW do they know that? Did they see she was a little girl when they put her in there?"

Please remind me not to talk about pregnancy in the middle of church service ever again!!

++++++

The girls are really ~~good~~ bad about complaining. "I'm hot!" or "My stomach hurts", or "This is heavy". I always know what they are wanting from me, but I've started refusing to help them until they rephrase their complain into a polite request. And I've stopped helping them like instead of asking, "Would you like for me to roll down the window?", I say, "I don't want to hear your complaint. Why don't you try to use your words to find a solution". (Or something along those lines, depending on the age of the child I'm talking to.

So, the other day we picked Noel up from school and on the way home, Melayna complained that she was hot. I turned and said to her the phrase that I just mentioned above. "Why don't you use your words to find a solution. What would you like for me to do to help you cool down?" (Of course Noel and I were both expecting her to request that we turn off the heat or roll down the window.) Instead, she simply said, "Can you help me take off my pants?"

++++++

Marissa and Melayna were arguing in the car the other morning. Marissa was telling Melayna that she was the smallest, Marissa was smaller, and Morgan was small. Melayna kept telling her, "No, no, I am NOT the smallest so stop saying that." I tried to make things better by explaining that actually Laynie was indeed the smallest but she interrupted me and said, "No, I'm the tiniest!"

++++++

I picked up pictures at CVS the other morning. Laynie and I were sitting in the parking lot flipping through all of the pictures when I suddenly came across an ultrasound picture. I realized that someone else's picture must have gotten put in with mine. No big deal until I realized that the next 10 or 11 pictures were all "belly shots" of someone else's pregnancy!! Oops! I took those pictures back into the store in case the real owner came to pick them up. When I got back into the car, Laynie laughed and said, "Mommy, can I see those belly pictures again? They were fat...and funny!"

++++++

Melayna has started praying for us recently. Her voice gets really quiet and sweet sounding as she offers up her prayers to God. Most of the time they are prayers of only thanksgiving, which I think is super special. At night she even gets on her knees beside the bed and says things like "Dear Jesus and God...thank you for the good time that we had together today. Thank you that Mommy left us home alone while she ran Daddy to work when it was still dark this morning. Thank you that we have food to eat even if it's sometimes yucky because we know that other kids don't get yucky food to eat. Thank you that you are in my heart. I love you Jesus and God. Amen." God must totally adore the prayers of the little ones, 'cuz I know I sure do!!

Who Is THAT?

2011-10-31T13:45:00.000-04:00

In anticipation of Halloween, the girls have been trying out some wigs. This long curly wig is certainly the fan favorite....and it catches me off guard everytime I see one of the girls whizzing by with it on.

Who is that?

Two things:

First, your roots are definitely NOT matching the rest of your hair....

and secondly, you're going to need a REALLY good detangler!

Family Updates - School and Otherwise

2011-10-31T13:40:00.000-04:00

It's Monday again. We're getting ready to go Trick Or Treating tonight. Hopefully we get it in before the rain. It was another busy weekend. On Friday night Noel's sister came down with her two kids and Noel's Mom and Grandma took the grandkids out to eat and bowling. The kids had a really great time with their grandma's and Noel and I had a rare opportunity to go out to eat together. Great company and a gift card for a free meal?? 'Makes for a perfect evening!!

No, what made a perfect evening was the fact that the Cardinals won the 2011 World Series. Game 7 took place on Friday night. You've probably never noticed my adoration for the Redbirds so I apologize if that comment takes you by surprise.

On Saturday we spent the day playing games with Noel's family. There was plenty of "Boomo" and "Dominoes" and "Racko" to go around. We had a great day!!

++++++

A while back, Laynie and I read a book together called "Caps for Sale". She really liked it, so when I saw downloadable worksheets online that went along with the story, I printed them off and let her work on them.

It really is a cute story -- and here Laynie is trying to stack all of the caps on top of each other on the monkey's head. You were suppose to put them in the same order as the book showed, but sometimes Laynie does things her own way. :-)

+++++

Marissa continues to do well in school and we are seeing more and more independence coming from her as she becomes more comfortable in her surroundings. She is really bonding with her new teacher. She recently went to a playdate after school with the other five girls in her class. She often sees a classmate in the morning drop-off and races up the stairs to join them. And she told me that she didn't want me to go on her first field trip because "it's my first field trip EVER mommy and I want to ride the bus and see everything by myself. But you can come on a field trip with me sometime later, okay?"

++++++

Morgan has signed up for a four week basketball camp through our school system. It is set up for girls grades 1-8 and is led by the Varsity Head coach and all of the assistants. It was very cheaply priced and it seems to be a great way to introduce the game of basketball to her to see if she likes it. She really seemed to like the first session and the coaches gave her plenty of drills to work on in order to improve week to week. Sometimes I just watch my girls as they grow and develop and take on new interests and I wonder "how did we get here? Weren't they just little babies kicking around in the pack n play?" It's fun to see their personalities grow and watch them interact with their peers around them.

Amazing Sights All Around Us

2011-10-29T11:43:00.001-04:00

There have been some pretty amazing sights happening all around us this week. Such beauty to behold!!

Beautiful amazing sights indeed!!

Remembering Our Last Visit

2011-10-27T16:45:00.000-04:00

After we got home from our trip, I was editing our pictures and came across pictures of our first visit out to visit the "W" family. It was six years ago when Morgan and Troy were both much younger. I think Morgan was about 17 mths old and Troy was just a year. He was much smaller than her back then. And I was much bigger back then. Marissa was born 6 weeks later. We went to visit the same state park but we walked different trails. Morgan rode on Daddy's shoulders back then instead of Melayna. These pictures made me smile.

On a sidenote: I'd give anything to still have that adorable little hat that Morgan is wearing. We lost it at the library shortly after returning from this trip.

Awana Bible Character Night

2011-10-27T10:27:00.000-04:00

I interrupt our previously scheduled blog post about Fall Break to bring you these pictures from last night's Bible Character Dress-Up Night. If you remember, I spent the weekend sewing these outfits up out of sheets and bed skirts a few weeks ago. Tonight we threw on a few final touches and the girls were dressed and ready to go.

Morgan chose to dress up like Mary. I thought it would be more fun if she went as a pregnant Mary, but she said she was too young and not married so she couldn't have a baby. (Yeah honey, I know....and that's the point of the story, really)

The more serious side of Mary

The side of Mary that looks as if she's auditioning for a role on Broadway.

Have you ever seen "Sister Act".... yeah, sort of like that!

Marissa told me that she wanted to dress up like Pharoah's daughter. The Egyptian princess who found Moses in the water. I had tried a few other options with snake bracets on her arm, etc. but she was quite content with this outcome instead....

Our dear Marissa...with dark hair!

And again....Pharoah's daughter getting ready to "break it down"

They were hugging b/c they said that they missed each other from when they were alive and in the Bible. I tried to explain that they weren't alive at the same time but it fell on deaf ears, apparently.

Pharoah's daughter and Mary have been reunited once again!!

Just Hangin' Around

2011-10-26T17:32:00.001-04:00

I found a few other fun pictures from the kids over the weekend. We were certainly a busy bunch, for the most part. But my girls are still talking about how much fun they had over break.

There was the soccer game against Noel. I think Morgan and Troy won that one:

With three children reading in the house, there were several stories being read.

Here is Ross enjoying his time with Marissa.

And Morgan squeezed in some time for an archery lesson from Troy.

And then, there was just a lot of hangin' around looking cute!

The Big "M" With My Little "M's"

2011-10-26T14:08:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, after lunch, we loaded up in the cars again and headed towards the "Big M". I am not sure of the entire story behind this limestone "M" on the side of a large hill, but we were all fascinated by it the last time we came out and thought that the kids would enjoy walking some more trails on such a gorgeous fall day.

"There's the M, there's the M!!"

The climb to the top.

Morgan said there were 266 glorious steps all the way to the top.

Wow! I am SO out of shape!!

Once we got to the top, there was an amazing view, and we found this great spot for another family picture opportunity. But this is like picture #9 with us sitting in this pose and I STILL couldn't get Laynie to look at the camera.

Finally!

With the help of PhotoShop (I finally figured out how to use the "Group Merge" function), I have a family picture where we're all looking the same direction. Yea!

And then more trails....

...down under some large rocks....

...and through some really dense bushes.

Sometimes it's just easier to give up and be carried.

(Check out the back of Noel's shirt... The ride says it all... I think it's rather ironic)

One view from the top of the hill

The whole gang.

'Course, every trip UP means you have a trip DOWN

Here are my three "little M's" posing in front of the "big M".

We had such a GREAT time together this fall break!!

We should get all these kids together more often....

Pumpkin Patch Kids

2011-10-26T12:54:00.000-04:00

Friday night, after a wonderful day at the state park, we ate hotdogs and smores around a campfire. The kids were swinging on the swingset and chasing each other and playing in the tree house. Eventually they got a little chilly and went inside to play. After checking on them, I discovered that they were all inside happily playing "jail" down in the basement. It gave us adults time to sit around the campfire a bit longer and enjoy adult conversation for a while - and then again after the kids were in bed. Except for the fact that I had "mysteriously" lost my voice that morning, Friday was a wonderful day.

+++++

Saturday woke up looking like more of the same. The weather was promising to be in the 60's and we planned to go sight-seeing again after Hinnerk got off of work around noon. So, to help pass time and keep the kiddos busy, we wandered over to the pumpkin patch that was planted at Hinnerk's work and the kids were told that they could pick as many pumpkins as they could fit into their little wagon.

And so the adventure begins with six kids and one empty wagon...

There was a good mix of large carving pumpkins and smaller baking pumpkins.

Ross and Laynie thought they had found some really cute ones.

"Look at all the pumpkins Mom. I want this one....and that one....and that one over there...."

Apparently there was something in the dirt that was interesting as well...

Believe it or not, the wagon wasn't full enough for them yet....

Okay, so now we have six kids and a FULL wagon.

Does this mean that it's time to head back?

Apparently not with this huge dirt pile in the same field. Boys cannot possibly pass up the opportunity to get dirty. When Troy asked my girls if they wanted to climb the dirt pile they said in unison "No". (Like duh!!)

But eventually, they did relent (after affirmation that I was okay with them getting dirty).

"Yea! We did it!"

The pile was only about eight feel tall, but I love how this picture makes it look like Laynie is scaling the side of a small mountain or something!! BTW, Marissa was looking for "gold" and without my knowing it, she took home an entire pocket full of rocks that I found in my washing machine yesterday.

After we made it back to the house, we started cleaning the pumpkins so we could take a few home with us.

They ended up with quite the variety.

Nothing like a refreshing drink from the garden hose after all of that work.

Yum!

Governor Dodge State Park

2011-10-25T17:52:00.000-04:00

We got to our friend's house on Thursday afternoon after driving a good part of the day, so we just spent the rest of the day letting the kids play and getting to know each other better. But, by Friday morning, we were ready to get out and explore. So we went to Governor Dodge State Park to walk trails and let the kids try out a new playground that they had heard about. The weather was gorgeous and we had a great time.

Why is it that whenever you try to take a picture with kids, they always stick out their tongues or roll their eyes or make silly faces?? At least we did get five of the six kids together at one time.

Laynie and Ross were like two peas in a pod.

Every so often, Marissa would sit on a tree stump or a fallen log and ask me to take her picture.

And sometimes I could get Laynie to pose as well.

Impromptu family picture.

Little Wade - such a cutie!

The kids had a great time at the park, even if Troy fell on his head attempting this trick.

'Goin' To The Country

2011-10-24T11:37:00.001-04:00

Hi Ya'll!

We're back!!

Fall break was last week so we loaded up our little country girls into the car and headed out Thursday morning.

We drove WAY out into the real country.

A land of dairy cattle...

...and windmill farms....

...and big yellow barns...

....and curious cows.

And we enjoyed four fun-filled but relaxing days with some really good friends. Even though we ourselves feel blessed to live "in the country" outside of our little town, we certainly enjoyed the oppportunity to travel to the country where the towns are few and far between and there are just fields upon fields for miles around.

It was beautiful.

Oh yeah, did I mention that we also got to travel through a really large city to get there?

++++++

So, right now I'm settling back into our normal routine, but

I'll try to edit some of our pictures and get them posted soon.

Our Visit To Knollbrook Farms

2011-10-19T12:54:00.000-04:00

Noel came home Saturday afternoon and said that we had been invited to Knollbrook Farms with some of our friends from church. We had never heard of this place before but it sounded like it would be a really fun place to visit. We loaded up our girls and Amslie and went to see what it was like. 'Definitely a place we'll return to in future years.

(Disclaimer: This post is very heavy on the pictures...)

They had a slingshot where you could shoot the pumpkins across a pond. If you got the pumpkin into a tire intertube, you received a prize. The girls tried hard, but never came close!!

The trike race. As you can see, it was a hit with children AND adults!!

Get outta my way!! I'm on a mission!

I love this ~~kid~~ man!

Finally, the adults stopped long enough for the kids to take a turn.

Amslie took off first...

Morgan had trouble getting herself started at first, but once she got going, she took a few hot laps.

Definitely the highlight of the day.... this 50 ft slide.

I can take tons of pictures of Noel with his daughters, and they never get old

Hand in hand.... so sweet!

Look who you can find if you wander around in the corn maze for a while!

There were two sections to this corn maze. Each section had six clues that you had to find and keep track of. We found the first six very easily, but had to wander to find a couple other ones.

'Daddy, we thought we had lost you!! And Mommy has NO idea where she's going!"

Finally finished with the corn maze and on our way back to the pumpkin patch.

Getting ready to ride the hayride

Apparently my job is to hold all of the extra coats!

They had this really cute duck race...

Right as we were getting ready to leave, we discovered the straw maze. Just the right height for the girls to go through on their own. They mastered the maze and then began to look for their own shortcuts.

All in all, it was a really (chilly) great day!

Joys Of MotherHood

2011-10-18T09:14:00.002-04:00

My daughters love me.

To show me their love, they brought me a bouquet of flowers from off my Mum plants.... and a bouquet of leaves.

Just another one of the joys of motherhood...

This, That, and Some Scripture Cards

2011-10-17T10:52:00.003-04:00

I am always looking for fun ways for the family to learn Scripture. The girls already have their verses to learn each week for Sunday School and Awana's, but I fear that they only learn them enough to get their prize and then they are quickly forgotten. I'm really trying to be more intentional about teaching my girls as God commands me to do. "...so the words I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children and talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. Deut. 6:6-7. Needless to say, I was excited when I came across this fun flashcard idea on I Can Teach My Kid's website the other day. You can visit her site and download your own cards if you want and print them out. Then I "laminated" them by placing them on contact paper and cutting them out.

By punching a hole in the corner and adding them to a key ring or craft ring, you have your own Scripture flash and flip cards.

Then place them somewhere handy where you'll see them often. For us, it's on our kitchen table right by the napkins. With three little girls, we're SURE to use napkins at every meal!!

And in other random news:

Marissa had "Donuts and Dads" on Friday. She saw the date on her school schedule back when she registered for school and has been counting down the days ever since. Since it started an hour earlier than school normally starts, Noel took her along with him. They left the house at 6:45 but I shouldn't have worried about her not wanting to get up. She jumped right up for him and was ready to go. Dates with Daddy are priceless and something we all look forward to. I only hope she's as excited to go to "Muffins with Mommy" at the end of the year!

Marissa's school hosted a blood drive for the Red Cross on Wednesday. Marissa asked me if I would sign up to donate blood so that she could be a little "hero" for the day and receive a prize. I haven't given blood since I was in high school because I am normally anemic and unable to give. Since the drive was still three weeks away when I signed up, I decided it might be worth the effort to take some left-over prenatal vitamins that I found in out medicine cabinet. Maybe that would bring up my iron count?? You had to be a 12.5 count to give. I was 12.6!

Melayna and Morgan were playing a game together over the weekend. Melayna (our four year old) said, "I haven't played this game since I was a little girl.

Another time, Marissa was putting on a crown necklace. She told Melayna that she was just like Barbie Princess Charm School because of her necklace. Without missing a beat, Melayna said, "Um Marissa, trust me, You are NOT a princess just because of a little necklace".

We went to a really fun place over the weekend with a great corn maze and a 50 foot long slide and even tractor races for the kids. Although it was a bit windy, it was beautiful and we all had a great time. I'll post pictures of that adventure later.

My St Louis Cardinals are headed for the World Series!! (That's exciting news) My sister in law reminded me of what happened five years ago when the Cardinals won the World Series. I might have to contain my excitement a bit more this time!! (And if you're asking yourself "what happened" last time....check out the age of my youngest daughter....her birthday is in July!!) LOL

Fall Break is coming this week. Yea! Noel finished us Parent/Teacher Conferences on Wednesday night and then we get four days of family time. We can't wait!!

Oops, How Could I?

2011-10-16T13:24:00.000-04:00

How could I forget the two best pictures of the bunch??

If only Melayna had stuck around to join in...